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Indonesian army says has stopped 'virginity tests' on female cadets

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Stanley Widianto, Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Courtesy of Indonesian Military TNI Information Center website" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/overseas/08/11/indonesian-military.jpg"/><figcaption>Courtesy of Indonesian Military TNI Information Center website</figcaption></figure></div><p>JAKARTA - The Indonesian army has ended a controversial practice of virginity tests on women who apply to become cadets, according to its chief of staff, a move welcomed by activists who have long campaigned against it.</p><p>&quot;Two-finger tests,&quot; where doctors check the hymen of female recruits to try to determine their virginity, was systematic, abusive and cruel, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which conducted investigations in <a href="https://bit.ly/2VKXX9R">2014 </a>and <a href="https://bit.ly/3jCyes4">2015 </a>into the practice and in <a href="https://bit.ly/3fRDpDD">2017 </a>renewed calls for it to end.</p><p>The military previously said the tests were important in determining recruits&#x27; morality. The World Health Organization has said they have &quot;no scientific validity&quot; and the appearance of a hymen was not a reliable indicator of intercourse.</p><p>Andika Perkasa, the Indonesian army chief of staff, told reporters on Tuesday that such tests no longer took place in the army.</p><p>&quot;Whether the hymen was ruptured or partially ruptured was part of the examination ... now there&#x27;s no more of that,&quot; he said, in comments that were confirmed by a military spokesman.</p><p>Andika last week said that the army selection process for male and female recruits must be equal.</p><p>The navy conducted pregnancy tests on women applicants, but no specific virginity tests, its spokesperson Julius Widjojono said on Wednesday, adding &quot;both men and women undergo the same examinations&quot;.</p><p>Indan Gilang, an air force spokesperson, said female reproduction tests were undertaken to check for cysts or other complications that could impair recruits&#x27; ability to serve, adding that &quot;virginity tests&quot; did not exist in the force&#x27;s terminology.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/global-filipino/world/05/14/15/indonesia-urged-stop-military-virginity-tests">Indonesia urged to stop military &#x27;virginity tests&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>Human rights groups welcomed the announcement that the army had ceased the practice.</p><p>&quot;There was never any need for the tests,&quot; said Andy Yentriyani, head of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).</p><p>Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at HRW, said it was &quot;the right thing to do,&quot; adding the practice was &quot;degrading, discriminatory, and traumatic&quot;.</p><p>He said HRW had spoken to more than 100 female military recruits who underwent the tests, one of whom said she was subjected to it in 1965.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/11/26/20/to-ban-or-not-to-ban-france-debates-virginity-tests">To ban or not to ban? France debates virginity tests</a></li></ul><div><strong> RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1745446" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The Indonesian army has ended a controversial practice of virginity tests on women who apply to become cadets.

Indonesian army says has stopped 'virginity tests' on female cadets

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Indonesian army says has stopped 'virginity tests' on female cadets

Stanley Widianto,

Reuters

Published Aug 11, 2021 04:39 PM PHT

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Indonesia

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virginity tests

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two-finger test

Human Rights Watch

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